Many mixtures that are made for human consumption require a minimal level of care in mixing together the mixture ingredients. However, in many instances, the quality or character of the mixture can be inadvertently compromised if the minimal level of care is not used in mixing the ingredients of the mixture. For example, the mixing ratios may be improper due to mixing an incorrect amount of liquid (e.g., water) with a mixture ingredient (e.g., concentrate). The temperature of the liquid mixed into the mixing ingredient may be incorrect making consumption of the mixture difficult or unpleasant, and in some cases, causing incomplete dissolution of the mixture ingredient in liquid. Moreover, when making the same mixture at several different times, the resulting mixtures may be inconsistent, for example, the mixtures made at different times may have different mixing ratios and may be made at different mixing temperatures.
In many instances, variations in the quality and character of the mixture is not the result of carelessness, but of the circumstances at the time the mixture is made. For example, where the mixture is an infant nutritional supplement, such as formula, mixing may occur in the middle of the night or under urgent time constraints due to the demands of the infant. Fatigue or the rushed nature of the situation can detrimentally affect the level of care the parent uses when mixing the formula. As known, maintaining consistency of the quality of the formula consumed by the infant is desirable for the health and well being of the infant.
Machines for automated mixing have been developed to address some of the problems presented by manually mixing. The machines automate the dispensing of the appropriate amount of water and at the correct temperature during mixing with the mixture ingredient. The resulting mixture is dispensed into an awaiting receptacle. Some of these machines are designed for mixing a single serving of a mixture, for example, single servings of coffee. In such machines, single serving cartridges are used that contain a mixture ingredient to be mixed with water, the quantity and temperature of which is controlled by the machine. Other machines have a larger container with multiple servings of a mixture ingredient (e.g., “bag-in-box”), which is dispensed under the control of the machine and mixed with an appropriate amount of water and at the correct temperature.
Although these machines automate the mixing process, the machines are often designed in such a way that residue from the mixture remains on part of the machine after the mixture is mixed and dispensed. For example, some machines have a channel, tube, or guide that guides a mixture to an opening where the mixture is dispensed into a receptacle. In other machines, a device that punctures a container to allow the ingress and egress of water during the mixing operation comes into contact with the container contents. As a result, residue from a previous mixing operation may contaminate the mixture of a current mixing operation. This is an issue particularly relevant to machines that mix single-servings of mixtures. Where the mixture ingredient is perishable, the residue may create an environment for the growth of bacteria or other organisms, which will be introduced into subsequently made mixtures and may present health concerns. In these types of machines, regular cleaning and maintenance is necessary to maintain a sanitary condition.